Tag Archive: history

Mark Twain portrayer, Gary Robertson, will be at the Historic Dinwiddie Courthouse, May 5 at 7 p.m. for a FREE presentation.

Gary Robertson, historical interpreter, will perform as Mark Twain at the Friends of the Library, Dinwiddie spring meeting on Monday, May 5 at 7:00 p.m. Prepare yourself for an evening of insights and stories from the entertaining Mr. Twain. Refreshments will be served. The Dinwiddie Historical Society will provide the venue at the Historic Dinwiddie Courthouse, adjacent to the Dinwiddie Library.

Mr. Robertson, a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Richmond, has been a newspaper reporter for The Richmond Times-Dispatch, director of special projects for Virginia Commonwealth University, an adjunct professor of journalism at Randolph-Macon, and a disc jockey. He says that channeling Mark Twain is his favorite pursuit.

Mark Twain (Samuel Langhorne Clemens, 1835-1910), is an American legend — steamboat pilot, novelist, and the nation’s most celebrated storyteller. As a man who could make anybody laugh, he always sprinkled his humorous sayings with a little vinegar. “Heaven goes by favor,” Twain said. “If it went by merit, you would stay out and your dog would go in.” He scolded politicians, praised the common man and found humor in nearly everything. As Twain would say, “The human race has one really effective weapon, and that is laughter.”